This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (08-07-12)

The funny little orange dude with the outrageous yellow stache may speak for the trees, but it’s too bad no one speaks for his creator in “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” a nice-lookin’ animated film that all but forgets its source material. There’s still plenty of other selections to choose from this week though, although that’s the biggest mainstream release.

My recommendation this week is “Marley” the exhaustive documentary chronicling the life of Bob Marley, directed by Kevin MacDonald (“The Last King of Scotland”). Over two hours long, this is a good place to start for those who don’t know all that much about the iconic musician, but will also have some insight for those who think they are well-versed in Marley. Leading the new-to-blu-ray pack, is Mel Brook’s “Spaceballs”, a movie I watched repeatedly back in high school, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. It may feel slightly dated, but it’s still loaded with plenty of laughs and fun performances.

Another movie now out on Blu-ray celebrating that same anniversary is Chris Columbus’ “Adventures in Babysitting”. The successful Chicago-based comedy that would go on to earn something of a cult-favorite status. It stars a post-Karate Kid Elizabeth Shue as a babysitter who must balance three children and a series of unpredictable events, after she tries to bail out her best friend, played by Penelope Ann Miller), all int he same evening. It’s one of those movies that’s fun to revisit just to see actors who are now well-known playing roles early in their career. You can find Bradley Whitford, Anthony Rapp and most notably Vincent D’Onofrio as Dawson (or Thor, yep that Thor). D’Onofrio had shed the 70 lbs. he had gained for his previous role in Stanley Kubrick’s classic “Full Metal Jacket”, which also came out in 1987. Pretty impressive.

Also out on Blu-ray are two enjoyable comedies from the 90s, “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion” and “Grosse Pointe Black” are celebrating their 5 year anniversary. Ironically, both revolve around characters returning to their 10 yr. high school reunions. Both movies feature some memorable work by their respective lead and supporting actors, as well as some fine 80s tunes.

If those Blu-ray releases aren’t for you, there’s also the release of another cult-classic, “Clue” based on the board game and the 1964 live action/animation comedy “The Incredible Mr. Limpet starring Don Knotts, a classic in my book.

The only other release I’m curious about is “Blue Like Jazz”, based on the semi-autobiographical book by Donald Miller. It came and left this past Spring in limited release with some pretty good buzz.

That’s it for this week! links to previous reviews are highlighted below. Enjoy the Rundown….